Schools

Send announcements to the Alexandria Gazette Packet, by e-mail to gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Friday at noon for the following week’s paper. Photos are encouraged. Call Rebecca Halik at 703-917-6407 with questions.

George Washington Middle School received $6,000 from the Washington Wizards, thanks to All-Star Guard Gilbert Arenas' record-breaking scoring on Dec. 17. Other upcoming games in which Arenas will score for ACPS schools include:

* Feb. 20 Wizards versus Minnesota Timberwolves at home for Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology

* Feb. 28 Wizards versus Miami Heat at home for the Secondary Training and Education Program (STEP)

* March 30 Wizards versus Toronto Raptors at home for Douglas MacArthur Elementary School

For further information about "Gilbert Scores for Schools," contact the participating schools or visit the Wizards' Web site at www.washingtonwizards.com.

The 2006 Virginia General Assembly passed a law which requires all sixth-grade students to have a tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) booster shot prior to entry into school this fall, if at least five years have passed since the last shot.

Parents of Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) fifth graders should review their children's immunization records. If a child's last tetanus shot was before 2001, the student needs to get the Tdap immunization. Free children's immunization clinics are held at the Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St., from 2-7 p.m. on Mondays and from 8-11 a.m. on Tuesdays. No appointment is necessary. Contact ACPS Nurse Coordinator Robin Wallin at 703-824-6650.

Zeta Phi Beta is sponsoring an scholarship/essay contest for City of Alexandria students in grades 10-12. The deadline for the submission is Feb. 20. the topic is "What impact did Hurricane Katrina have on you or your family?" Winner will receive $1,000 and will be announced at a reception on March 24. Mail essays to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Nu Xi Zeta Chapter - Scholarship, P.O. Box 25961, Alexandria, VA 22313. For information visit www.nuxizeta.org or call 703-802-0621.

The Special Education Parent Resource Center of Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) announces the following events scheduled this month:

* The Support Group for Parents of Children in Special Education continues to meet every Thursday morning from 10 a.m.-noon at the Special Education Parent Resource Center. Meetings include coffee, bagels, free child care with advance notice and great support and problem-solving ideas.

T.C. Williams High School drama students won third place at the Patriot District One-Act Festival Competition held Jan. 30 at South County High School. Performing a comedy titled "Jimmy the Antichrist" by Keith J. Powell, the students tied for second place with Lake Braddock Secondary School, but lost a tie-breaker by three points. West Springfield High School won the competition. Morgan Grady was voted by the judges as the best actor to perform at the competition. Maggie Rosenblatt and Alina Collins received All Star Awards for being among the top 12 actors picked by the theatre directors who were present. Rosenblatt, Collins and Grady received three out of the five top awards given to the actors by the judges. Other participating students included actors Biana Lipford, Agatha Aramayo and Anil Kenkeremath and Student Director Beth Wherry.

Six T.C. Williams High School TV Production students received awards in the recent Pre-Produced One-Minute Video Production category of the District 14 SkillsUSA Competition. The team of Tyler DeCourt, Taylor Pearson and John Wilson IV received first place for a piece titled Extreme Skipping, and the team of Brooks Eaton, Reid Scholar and Will Shankles earned second place for an entry called US Bowling. All students will advance to the state-level competition in Richmond in April.

Alexandria has five schools that offer a limited number of openings for students outside of its attendance zone. Students may apply to these schools through a lottery. The five schools are: Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology; Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics; John Adams Elementary Dual Language Program; Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy; and Mount Vernon Community School. Lottery applications must be received by March 2. Applications can be downloaded from the ACPS Web site at http://www.acps.k12.va.us/lottery.php and will be available in schools by mid-February. Parents who are unsure of the school to which their child is assigned can call 703-824-6710.